Encyclopedia of Philosophy: OCKHAM'S POLITICAL THEORY

Ockham's summons to Avignon did not lead to a condemnation for heresy, even though a commission spent several years examining his Commentary on the Sentences. However, his time there did give a wholly new turn to his career. The Pope of the time, John XXII, was in conflict with the Franciscan Order on two issues concerning poverty: the historical question whether Christ and the Apostles had lived in absolute poverty, and the practical question of the owner¬ship of property by contemporary Franciscans. Ockham became involved in this controversy, and made himself so unpopular with the Pope that, along with the head of his Order, Michael of Cesena, he had to flee from Avignon to Munich. There they were taken under the protection of the Holy Roman Emperor, Ludwig of Bavaria. According to legend Ockham said, ‘Emperor, defend me with your sword and I will defend you with my pen'. Whether or not this is true, Ockham was henceforth involved in the broader issues of the relationship between Pope and Emperor, between Church and State.